1844
ink
From the collection of National Gallery of Art
Un jour de grande tenue is a 1844 ink by Honoré Daumier, a Romanticism work, held at National Gallery of Art.
Two soldiers stand side by side in stiff uniforms. One salutes with a rigid arm, the other stares ahead, both drawn with heavy lines and exaggerated faces. Their outfits are overly formal, almost cartoonish. This print mocks the seriousness of military rituals. Daumier made it during a time when France gave out many honors to win public support. He worked as a caricaturist for newspapers, using art to point out human silliness. The title means "A Day in Full Dress," hinting that the scene is more about show than duty. Look up the technique: lithography.
Honoré-Victorin Daumier was a French painter, sculptor, and printmaker, whose many works offer commentary on the social and political life in France, from the Revolution of 1830 to the fall of the Second French Empire in 1870.
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